After The Joker’s death Batman and Gotham City face a mysterious new threat in this direct
sequel to Tim Burton’s iconic Batman . The Joker is dead but not forgotten. Gotham City is
saved but it is still not safe. By night its new symbol of hope Batman continues his fight
to protect the innocent and the powerless. By day his alter ego Bruce Wayne wonders whether
there may someday be a future beyond skulking the city’s rooftops or the cavernous halls of his
stately manor alongside the ever-dutiful Alfred Pennyworth. But even after death the Clown
Prince of Crime’s imprint can be seen in more than just the pavement. Remnants from The Joker’s
gang are leading wannabes fascinated by his bizarre mystique on a campaign of arson that
threatens the city—even as it serves greedy opportunists including millionaire Max Shreck. And
survivors of exposure to The Joker’s chemical weapon Smylex continue to crowd Gotham City’s
main hospital. To quell the chaos Batman needs more than his cape and his well-stocked
Utility Belt. Bruce Wayne is forced into action prompting a partnership with a charismatic
scientist to help solve the health crisis. But as he works in both the shadows and the light
Bruce finds himself drawn deeper into Gotham City’s turmoil than ever before fueling his
obsession to save the city—an obsession that has already driven a wedge between him and Vicki
Vale. The loyal Alfred who had hoped Bruce’s efforts as Batman could help him find closure
finds the opposite happening. Nightmares begin to prompt Bruce to ask new questions about the
climactic events in the cathedral and investigations by Commissioner Gordon and reporter
Alexander Knox into the arsons only amplify his concerns. Having told the people of Gotham
City that they’d earned a rest from crime Batman finds the forces of evil growing ever more
organized—and orchestrated—by a sinister hand behind the scenes. The World’s Greatest Detective
must solve the greatest mystery of all: Could The Joker have somehow survived? And could he
still have the last laugh against the people of Gotham City?
